Welcome to the blog of our father/son adventure, with three sleeps to go! We did a trial pack last night and were surprised to find it all seemed to fit. This probably means we've forgotten several bulky items that will turn out to be absolutely essential and require purchasing at enormous expense in a back-woods Hungarian village. We'll see...

We will be riding our BMW R1150GS motorcycle on a loop around Europe, planning to visit 15 (or so) countries in 17 (or so) days. The "or so" disclaimers are because we are complete amateurs at motorcycle touring and our bums may give out after the first day. We'll see...

Some introductions are probably in order.

We're both Aussies who have been living in the UK since 2004. We moved here to travel and have managed a few great trips, but expect this trip will be the most intense and immersive.

Lachlan is the son and mobile cameraman of the team - just turned 18 and with only two exams remaining between now and our departure in three days time. The trip is to celebrate his finishing high school and turning 18. He has fingers crossed on a Gap-Year job when he gets back from trip. He will be missing his girlfriend Hannah and mum Sharon. He's also waiting for his new passport to arrive after we discovered his old one was out of date. Oops! Hope it arrives on time.

Rob is the father, rider and photographer - a web developer by trade and sufferer of late-onset biking. Apart from a few years in the early 80s around a private estate on a Kawasaki 100, he will have been riding a motorcycle for exactly a year on June 21. He will be missing his wife (and Lachlan's mum) Sharon.